Suzhou Intelligent Library
Intelligent “FUTURE LIBRARY” eliminates the pain points of borrowing and returning books
How does the "Future Library" look like?
Can you imagine a “Future Library” that is accurate, efficient, pratical and fast? It may only appear in our imagination but actually has been used in Suzhou! You may have used it without knowing it! Let us check out the “fantasy journey” of a book that experience from the Suzhou Library to your hands.
1. Choose a book
You can check the books you need and borrow by using the WeChat application on your mobile phone in Suzhou now. After selecting the books on the platform and completing the borrowing procedure, readers can pick up the book at more than 130 service points through the community delivery service. However, if the chosen book is not available, you can still make a reservation on the application.
The platform is chiefly led by the Suzhou Library and jointly created by public libraries in various districts of Suzhou. It is planned to include all public libraries within the region in the platform by the end of 2022.
2. Smart three-dimensional library
The Suzhou Second-Library has built the first large-scale intelligent three-dimensional library in China, divided into 4 storage areas, covering a total area of about 3,000 square meters, with a storage capacity of at least 7 million books. The 14.5-meter large bookshelf is powerful, the daily capacity for storage and retrieval can reach up to 20,000 books.
The transmission and sorting system of this smart library will start to operate when the reader initiates an order for online borrowing. It distributes the books according to the reader’s pick-up location. The system will transfer and packs the books while waits for the logistics to deliver them to each pick-up location.
3. Collection and return of books
No time to pick up the book during the daytime? The Suzhou Library, which operated its self-service cabinet as early as 2014. There are 95 operational self-service points throughout the entire city now, 12 of which are accessible to the public 24 hours a day. You can pick up the book whenever you want. The step of returning the book is even easier. The reader just need to follow the instruction on the screen, by scanning the barcode of the book, and place it in the designated space.
